Coast Guard Lieutenant call women in the Coast Guard “skanky” and feels that rape survivors do not deserve an investigation.

I work as a rape crisis counselor at a University with a large population of students that are also veterans. Currently a third of my caseload are veterans with military sexual trauma that are adjusting to life as students and as rape victims. My military background includes two brothers that joined the Coast Guard. My older brother is an alumnus of the Coast Guard Academy and currently a Coast Guard Lieutenant. My younger brother left the Coast Guard several years ago after 4 years as an enlisted personnel. He is now a police officer.

I printed out some of the Coast Guard stories on this page and showed them to my brothers. I was taken aback by how little they cared and even made excuses for the rapists. My younger brother said that there are two sides to every story and that we were only getting one side. I disagree. I feel that rape is black and white. You either raped somebody or you didn’t. There isn’t that gray area where one might think it is rape and one might not. My older brother told me that some women in the Coast Guard are skanky and put themselves in situations that are going to get them raped. He admitted that there had been numerous women under his command that were too skanky that he wouldn’t waste CGI money or resources to investigate their rape claims and that it is easier to approve their separation from service. I was in shock when I heard all of this. I have a third brother who is not part of the Coast Guard that felt sympathetic to the Coast Guard members posting their rape stories on here.

I like to think that our parents raised us to respect all people including women. I do not know where their attitudes against women that are raped come from. I am ashamed by what they said.

I want to thank Panayiota Bertzikis for starting this blog. I think it speaks highly of her to put everything on the line to help her shipmates regain their voice. My brothers and all in the Coast Guard need to follow Panayiota’s leadership to eliminate rape in the Coast Guard. I have referred all of my veteran students to this blog and used some of the stories as learning tools for my colleagues that might not be familiar with military sexual trauma. It is never the victim’s fault for being raped.

3 thoughts on “Coast Guard Lieutenant call women in the Coast Guard “skanky” and feels that rape survivors do not deserve an investigation.”

Panayiota’s love and dedication for the Coast Guard is pretty remarkable. I always thought that if everyone cared about the Coast Guard in the way that Panayiota does then we wouldn’t have any problems whatsoever.

I am sorry that your brothers are dick heads. I do not think it is anything that your parents did that was wrong cause you seem like a very caring person. The Coast Guard breaks you down to the point that they make people feel that rape survivors (and rape advocates) are the bad ones and that rapists are the victims. God only know how many times that men in the Coast Guard, possibly even your brother, told Panayiota and the rest of the crew that they are horrible people for trying to help members of the Coast Guard. Those people tend to be the same ones that rape their own shipmates or conceal rapes. For the rest of the Coast Guard population especially those that been raped they are very thankful for the work that Panayiota is doing and for never giving up on them.

If women in the Coast Guard were all skanky then why are they in the Coast Guard earning right above the poverty level and not strippers and porn stars making tons more? Also if you are skanky you can’t get raped because you’ll want sex and not say no. Tell your brother he is a douchebag and punch him for me. thanks

Your brother sounds like every single officer that I came across in the service. K is right if we are all skanky then we’ll ask for sex not say no. I was raped and the military swept it right under the rug and kicked me out. My rapist is still serving.